DC Universe Online freemium transition was “really challenging”

DC Universe Online was designed as a subscription MMO, which made the transition to free-to-play difficult, Sony Online Entertainment has admitted.

“We had to figure out a way to adapt some of the conventions of how you progress through a subscription-based game to justify monthly subscription as opposed to going to a free-to-play model with some microtransactions and premium membership strategies,” creative director Jens Andersen told Gamasutra.

“So it was really challenging, because our content progression, everything was built with a different model in mind.”

The solution was the MMO’s Legendary membership package, which awards access to all premium features like DLC, benefits, and perks as well as offering a whack of Station Cash for vanity and convenience items. all for one fee.

The full article available through the link above goes into further detail on how Sony Online Entertainment wanted to avoid annoying users with monetisation requests, and the unique Lockout system which increases opportunities for loot drops.